[30.10.2ÎÎ3] Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry Disagrees with European Parliament on Rights Situation in the Country

"The harsh criticism of the Kyrgyz government's activities in the field of human rights in the European Parliament's resolution is biased," says a statement made by the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

The European Parliament's resolution cited violations to human rights, freedom of speech and freedom of the press and called for the release of opposition leader Felix Kulov.

"Guided by the principle that all people are equal before the law, the country's leadership cannot accept the European Parliaments' demand that the practice of filing alleged civil suits by government officials against journalists and independent media end," the statement says.

The legal environment in the country is right for resolving problems in a civilized and democratic manner, in the courts, and the media should be publishing credible information, not distorted reports, it says.

The court ruling on Kulov, the leader of the opposition party Arnamys (Dignity), "was handed out in full compliance with national legislation on abuse of authority, so attempts to make this case into a political issue have no real basis," the statement says.

"Nor can we accept the European Parliament's charges that the state persecutes opposition figures, journalists, NGO workers and human rights activists. We are aware, however, of the need to make significant efforts aimed at consolidating constructive dialogue between the authorities and the opposition," it says.